Your urine can reveal valuable information about your health. Healthcare providers can diagnose urinary tract infections (UTIs), detect early signs of chronic diseases, or find important clues about the nature of concerning symptoms.
What's in your urine?
The kidneys produce urine by filtering waste products, excess fluids, and other substances from the bloodstream. Your urine contains various clues about your overall body condition. Urine analysis involves examining the content, concentration, and even appearance of urine to look for qualities, substances, and cells that may indicate specific health issues. Visual, chemical, and microscopic aspects of urine examination provide valuable insights into your body's condition.
How is a urine test conducted?
Visual Assessment
A simple visual assessment of urine color, clarity, and overall appearance can provide some clues about your health. Normally, urine appears a distinct shade of yellow. Certain infections and health conditions can make urine smell strong or appear cloudy with foam. Dark-colored urine may indicate dehydration or other issues.
Dipstick Testing
Dipstick testing gathers information about the chemical components of urine. This part of urine analysis can measure the urine's pH level (acid-alkaline balance), detect abnormally high protein levels, identify small amounts of glucose (sugar) or ketones, and detect the presence of bilirubin or blood. Some specific dipstick tests can detect common substances in UTIs (nitrites and leukocytes), as well as test for pregnancy hormones and illicit drugs.
Microscopic Examination
The final component of urine analysis involves examining a small amount of concentrated urine under a microscope. Its purpose is to detect higher-than-normal levels of red blood cells, white blood cells, bacteria, or crystals.
What can a urine test reveal?
Urine analysis can definitively diagnose urinary tract infections and provide basic insights into your overall health. It can also offer further clues as to what might be causing concerning unexplained symptoms such as chronic abdominal or back pain, frequent urination or painful urination, or blood in the urine. Urine test results may indicate the presence of:
Diabetes or prediabetes
Chronic kidney disease
Kidney stones or bladder stones
Kidney or bladder cancer
Bacterial or yeast infections
Urinary system diseases
Sexually transmitted infections
Liver or bile duct damage
While urine test results can point to a range of potential medical issues, urine analysis itself does not diagnose any of these health problems. Abnormal urine analysis results indicate the need for further diagnostic tests. Similarly, normal urine test results do not mean that you are free from chronic diseases or health conditions. Further testing may be necessary.
